Reflection:Spring’s Journey North Engaged Learning Project was created for my ITEC 7400 21st Century Teaching and Learning course in spring 2014. The purpose of this project was to create an extended technology-centered learning unit that met the criteria for LoTi level 4 or higher. In addition, the project modeled innovative uses of technology to support the Indicators of Engaged Learning, including higher-order thinking, collaboration, and authenticity with a focus on student and teacher roles. This project aligned with ISTE Nets Standards for Students and Fifth Grade Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy.The idea for this project grew out of the need to do a research project with fifth grade students. Therefore, this project was created in alignment with Fifth Grade English Language Arts content standards. Students use technology to investigate three signs of spring: tulips, robins, and day length. They write short descriptions of these three aspects of spring while also collecting their own data about tulip growth, robin sightings, and the changing length of daylight hours. Students use several sources to learn about these aspects of spring as well as their own data in order to draw conclusions. This information is synthesized into a movie documenting their research and sharing their findings about the driving force of seasonal change.This project is also aligned with the ISTE Nets Standards for students. Students use technology in several different ways during this unit. They are required to interact with peers using technology through collecting data, communicating with a partner class in Alaska, and contributing to Journey North’s online database. They work as part of a team to produce a movie that is a synthesis of the information they have found about the signs of spring and what drives seasonal change. This artifact demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate the design and implementation of a technology-enhanced learning unit that is aligned with content and technology standards. I shared this project with other fifth grade teachers to serve as an example of a technology-enhanced learning unit. I offered my time to answer questions and facilitate the implementation of the project in their own classrooms. To further model this unit, I invited teachers as well as administrators to my classroom to see this unit in action and several attended. In addition, I wrote an article for our school newsletter about the project and its purpose to share with parents and the school community. I implemented this unit during the spring semester 2014. I had the opportunity to implement this unit a second time with my students in spring 2015.

This project was my first experience creating a unit built around the Indicators of Engaged Learning and LoTi. That framework helped me structure the lesson to be authentic and meaningful for my students yet also accomplish the content goals I had. Since I had the opportunity to implement this unit a second time in spring 2015, I was able to make several changes to improve the artifact. Participation in the Journey North online project requires some planning and forethought. For example, tulips have to be purchased from the same supplier in the fall and planted in November or December for our region. The first time I implemented this project, I started it in March, so I had to borrow tulips for a co-worker who had planted them earlier in the year. Therefore, they did not comply with the requirements to be part of the Journey North test garden data. For my second implementation, I ordered the tulips early, worked with our facilities manager to set up an area for our test garden, and planted them in December. It improved the quality of the artifact to be able to participate in the test garden and contribute our data to the Journey North website. Another improvement I made on my second implementation was having students collaborate with the members in their group through Google Docs. This was very beneficial for the students and also for me because I could easily see their work. This allowed me to facilitate discussions among the groups of students by leaving comments for them within their documents. This artifact impacted school improvement because it supports the vision of our technology plan, which is to use technology to create learning experiences that promote critical thinking and problem solving. By creating an authentic, meaningful learning experience, student learning was impacted. This project allowed students to explore the causes of seasonal change through research and data collection. The impact of this project can be assessed through informal discussions with students about their perceptions and attitudes toward technology-enhanced research projects as well as conversations with parents during the end of year festival where the movies will be shared. It can also be assessed through school surveys about technology use in the classroom.